Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-12-31
joe MJLHATTAE.

Mr.. ". T, Niedcrlander has on
exhibition in the window of his
office a fine specimen OF the curl
Gus plant known as the tumble
weed" This specimen was taken
from the old fIir grounds last year,
after the grounds were abandoned.
The plant IS q mass Of branches,
spherical in form and so lightly /
interviewer as to form almost
compact mass. Like the earth, /
this g.obular mass of branches is
hattened at the poles only more
so. The present specimen is about
| five feet at its greatest diameter.
Mr.. Niederlander says he has seen
specimens nearly twice this size,
This weed once grew plentitully
through this country and Colorado.
When green they present q very
pretty appearance and look more
like a dwarf tree than a weed.
They are very dangerous in case
of prairie fire, and often danger
Gus in plain wind storms where
| there is 10 fire. In case Of fire
the flames seem to strip the plant ,
OF its leaves. and il at once goes
rolling before the hurricane, !
perfect wheel Of fire. These re-
volving wheels of fire wi |
Jump any ordinary fur
. row or fire break, and carry the
fire into the timber or grass, as the
case may be. Nothing can stop
their progress but a river. Into
those they jump, leaping ont into
the stream forty. fifty or sixty feet,
and go down with hiss, thrown g
up a column Of steam where they
sink.
II have seen hundreds Of these
plants in Barber county and the
, Siquashie valley" said Mr.. Med
erlander. when started to rolling
: in a fire no ordinary horse can run
g before them. Once in the Siqushie
valley | only saved myself by
driving my team into the river,
It which | fortunately reached Just III
tim ;"
> In Colorado wind storms these
l weeds are also source Of much
0 danger. In Middle Park few
years ago q party of travellers Were
suddenly overtaken by storm.
y Seeing what they supposed
to be mass of huge
powders in the distance, they
> made for them, thinking they
re would afford at least partial shell
is ter. To their surprise as they APP
preached the powders suddenly
broke loose and commenced roll
~ ing toward them at furious rate
st. cutting all sorts Of curious caper
ed and gyrating menacIn5iy as they
came. At times they would strlk'
an obstruction and bound high L
ev the air, and again striking tn
:. ground. resume their rapid Gil
" cular motion. The travellers pu
hu spurs 10 their horses, and 1t wa
&c. only by the greatest effort tn;
to they managed to escape from In
,as track Of these monsters. On exam
ination they found their suppsr
powders were really immen
y weeds which had been torn up l
the roots by the wind storm.
lp- These weeds are SO solid tn;
ut they are a great menace to ma
elt and beast under such circun
tho stances. Impelled by n hea'
y. wind, they go with force enough
ISL kill a horse and a human being
the in great danger if he cannot
uld out of the track when they q
,cv running before hurricane or IN
case Of prairie fire. -Wlchl
CKan.) Journal.
lest This is clArly Joe under an
ist- sumed name, Tumble wee
elf. were PLENTIFUL in Dakota II
hen years ago. They arc usually fr'
mes one to three feet in diamet
dge They break loose and roll acre
ely, the prairie as described and a
ling are very dangerous by carrying
fore but as to their hurting any Av'
Vt to thing, that is all nonsense. /
ably writer has driven for miles thror
them. They could be seen aN
out on the prairie, rolling
tumbling, looking like am
the preaching army. Horses unu
&c a to them are apt to get frighte'
be- but never hurt, You might
we'll talk of injuring a horse
stors throwing a bag of feathers at
after as by his being hurt by a tun
need weed.
The last decen liant ofthc Nate
;son tribe OF Indians, whose reside
- Mounl forgot to state tha